Harvest of the Month trainingJuly 9-10 in Sioux Falls OR July 23-24 in Rapid City

Secretary's Column:
By Dr. Melody Schopp
Department of Education

Importance of reading in every season

I’m very excited to share a little bit of information about a Summer Reading Challenge that is currently in the works.

Reading proficiency in the early grades is critical in ensuring that students leave the K-12 system ready for college and careers. It sets the foundation for all future learning. Summer learning loss, especially among our in gap group students, is one of the primary concerns for educators when it comes to early literacy, and many states are grappling over how to handle struggling readers. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/more-states-requiring-third-graders-to-pass-reading-test-to-advance/2013/03/10/edcafb5e-76ec-11e2-aa12-e6cf1d31106b_story.html)

In South Dakota, we’ll be encouraging young people across the state to continue reading, at appropriate and challenging levels, over the summer months. Using their Lexile scores, and with the help of online resources, teachers and librarians will be able to help students identify books and other materials that are at an appropriate level of difficulty and aligned to their unique interests. The goal is that students will have an active list of books they can read over the summer.

I’m optimistic that this Summer Reading Challenge will be a step in the right direction toward achieving our first student outcome creating students that are college, career and life ready after high school.

2013 Legislative session wraps up

March is behind us, which means another legislative session has come and gone. The Legislature approved funding for several new grant programs, including classroom innovation grants, CTE grants and technology grants. The department will begin setting up application processes for these grants in the coming weeks, and more information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.

Gov. Daugaard also issued a line item veto to House Bill 1137, in order that the $5.8 million in one-time funding to school districts be distributed based on current fall enrollment (SY 2012-13) rather than enrollment from the 2011-12 school year.

Data system rollout progressing across state

School districts across South Dakota are beginning to access the state’s new longitudinal data system, called the South Dakota Student Teacher Accountability Reporting System, or SD-STARS.

Throughout the year, 10 pilot districts and the Education Service Agencies have been accessing the system to help identify concerns ahead of the transition. The ESAs will play an important role in ensuring that district staff across the state is trained in using SD-STARS.

Districts have been asked to identify at least two people who will be trained on SD-STARS and one person who will manage the accounts. These users should be the district staff who review accountability reports, as these reports will now be available through SD-STARS.

Beyond that, districts will have some flexibility to work with their ESA and determine a timeline for implementation. Some districts may choose not to train all teachers until future months.

The Department of Education has released an implementation guide to help districts navigate the process. Questions regarding SD-STARS should be directed to Sara Kock or Marcus Bevier at the department, or to the local ESA.

Growth Model work group narrows down studies

South Dakota’s Growth Model work group met via conference call last month to discuss further analysis of the seven growth models selected for consideration for use in the state’s new accountability system.

The work group discussed the pros and cons of each of the seven models and then came to a consensus to eliminate the Projection, Categorical and Trajectory models. The Gain Score model was also tentatively taken out of consideration for the time being. LINK TO WORK GROUP WEBPAGE

Group members felt the Projection Model was similar to the Residual Gain Model but believed the Residual Gain Model would provide a truer measure of student growth. Overall, group members had problems with the Categorical Model because it didn’t do enough to help or take into account those students who were in the bubble between Basic and Proficient categories.

Group members particularly liked the Student Growth Percentile Model and felt no matter which model they end up choosing, it is important to select a model that accurately measures students’ academic achievement and will also be easy for parents and the public to understand.

Educator recognition: Shine a spotlight on your “best and brightest”

School administrators: If you have an educator who represents South Dakota’s best and brightest, we want to hear from you. The Department of Education maintains a list of Emerging Classroom Leaders, which consists of distinguished teachers and principals from across South Dakota. These talented educators may be considered for membership on advisory boards and task forces, as well as candidates for special recognition programs.

Candidates must have a minimum of five years of experience in education. Candidates must be building-level personnel. They are typically classroom teachers, as opposed to specialists, and are recognized by peers and supervisors as unique in their growth. Occasionally, a principal or specialist is considered. Previous recognition is not required.

To recommend someone for our Emerging Classroom Leaders Pool, complete a Talent Pool Recommendation Form and return it to Lanette Johnston, Department of Education, 800 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501, no later than May 1.

In addition to filling out the form, we ask that you include a one-page narrative and a resume if possible. Please keep your recommendation confidential and do not share it with the individual.

Questions can be directed to Lanette Johnston, Department of Education, at (605) 773-8415.

Seeking presenters for 10th annual Indian Education Summit

Although the 10th annual Indian Education Summit may seem like a long way off, plans are already taking shape. Conference planners are interested in hearing from local schools or educational organizations that have unique, successful programs that bolster success for Native American students.

If you have a story to share in this area, here is your chance to do so on a statewide platform. Summit organizers are looking for presenters for the upcoming event, which will be held Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 at Cedar Shores in Oacoma. If you are interested in presenting at the conference, please return the Request for Presenters form to Marta Neuman by May 31.

If you know of other education professionals who might make good presenters for this event, please feel free to forward the form onto them. More information about the Indian Education Summit can be found at http://indianeducation.sd.gov/summit.aspx.

Smarter Balanced moving forward

The Governing States of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium approved achievement level descriptors (ALDs) and established an affiliation with the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California, Los Angeles to begin after the conclusion of the federal grant in 2014.

At a March conference in Arlington, Va., state education chiefs met in a public session and approved initial achievement level descriptors—which distinguish among the levels of student performance in English language arts/literacy and mathematics on the Smarter Balanced assessments. Governing States agreed to continue discussions within their states of a college content-readiness policy, which describes how scores on the high school assessment can be used by colleges and universities.

Adoption of the initial ALDs is part of an extensive collaboration between K-12 education agencies and institutions of higher education. The development of the initial ALDs began in October 2012 with collaboration among K-12 teachers and administrators and higher education faculty from two- and four-year colleges and universities representing Smarter Balanced Governing States. A six-month review process engaged a broad array of K-12 teachers, higher education faculty, content experts, and education partners through two rounds of public comment in November and February.

The approved initial ALDs are based upon four levels of achievement that describe the level of rigor students have demonstrated: “thorough understanding,” “adequate understanding,” “partial understanding,” or “minimal understanding” of knowledge, skills, and processes for the two assessed Common Core content areas of English language arts/literacy and mathematics. Smarter Balanced is developing an integrated suite of ALDs that serve different purposes for item writing, standard-setting, and reporting results. Reporting ALDs—which will provide guidance to students and parents about how to interpret performance on the assessments—will be developed following standard setting in 2014. To access the complete English language arts/literacy and mathematics initial ALDs, go to: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/achievement-level-descriptors-and-college-readiness/

The third Smarter Balanced Collaboration Conference brought together representatives from the consortium’s 25 members—including state education chiefs, K-12 state leads, higher education leads, work group members, and contractors—to facilitate coordination on the design and implementation of the next-generation assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards. In accordance with the consortium’s state-led governance structure, the 21 Smarter Balanced Governing States each have a vote on major policy decisions through their chief state school officer or delegate. The next Smarter Balanced Collaboration Conference will be held in September.

Hot Topics

Common Core info available

The Department of Education has created a fact sheet to help the general public in understanding the Common Core. More materials are being created and will be disseminated to schools in the coming months, however administrators can access this material as a resource when visiting with parents and other community members.

Lake Area Tech again an Aspen finalist

For the second year in a row, Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown has been recognized as one of the top four two-year colleges in the country by the Aspen Institute. (http://news.lakeareatech.edu/lati-named-top-4-two-year-college-in-the-nation/)

South Dakota Virtual School registration now open

Registration for the 2013-14 School Year is now open on the South Dakota Virtual School. A number of new courses have been added this past year, including several dual credit options. Many of the courses give students additional advanced CTE options, which can be particularly beneficial to smaller districts.

Upcoming Events TIE Conference

April 21-23, Rapid City

This year’s annual TIE Conference will be held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Three nationally-known keynote speakers will address participants, beginning with the TIE organization's director, Dr. Julie Mathiesen on Sunday. Dr. Mathiesen is a longtime South Dakota educator who earned her PhD in Educational Technology at Pepperdine University. She advises schools across the United States about implementing Mass Customized Learning strategies.

Other keynote speakers will be Adam Bellow, a New York educator selected as 2011 Outstanding Young Educator of the Year by the International Society for Technology in Education, and Richard Byrne. Byrne, from Maine, is well known for his blog, Free Technology for Teachers, reaching more than 53,000 subscribers daily.

Find more information at www.conference.tie.net.

CTE 101 Training

May 31, Rapid City

CTE 101 training fulfills the requirement for secondary teachers to become South Dakota Career & Technical Education Qualified teachers for approved CTE programs.

Those teachers who are 1) new to teaching in approved CTE programs, 2) in their early years of teaching (either from teacher preparation programs or via alternative certification) or 3) who teach career or technical courses that are being added to approved CTE programs need to take this one-day qualification training.

The training will explore CTE initiatives, resources and program requirements. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion, CTE qualification certificate and are eligible for continuing education hours.

Participants should bring a laptop computer equipped with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Excel.

2013 Middle/High School (6-12) Science Academies

June 12 – July 11, Various locations statewide

South Dakota teachers will model three-dimensional instruction (Three Dimensions: Scientific and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts from the Framework for K-12 Science Education and NGSS) through activities and provide video evidence of this instruction occurring in South Dakota classrooms. The video footage is based on model lessons that have been aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and South Dakota Science Standards.

Teachers will leave with three-dimensional lessons that can be immediately implemented and will gain an understanding of the vision for science education in South Dakota. Teachers also will leave the training with knowledge of the three-dimensional lesson-building process, which they can use to advance their curriculum.

This is a two-day regional training for middle school and high school science teachers. There are 10 locations with two trainings occurring per location. At each location, one training will be for middle school and one training will be for high school. Up to 60 teachers will be accommodated at each location, with 30 at each training. Stipends of $125/day, available through the Investing in Teachers effort, will be paid to each attending science teacher, for no more than two days of training. Therefore, teachers should only sign up for one training. A minimum of 20 teachers will be required to host a training.

Graduate credit will be available. More information will be sent out, post-registration, including what to bring, graduate credit information, specific location details, etc.

For more details, visit http://doe.sd.gov/secretary/investinginteachers.aspx or contact Sam Shaw.

Harvest of the Month training

July 9-10 in Sioux Falls OR July 23-24 in Rapid City

Learn how to organize a Harvest of the Month Team for your school or community. Attendees will prepare recipes, create lessons and evaluation, discuss food-to-table demonstrations, and learn about growing and transplanting.

Participating teams are also eligible to apply for a $500 Team Nutrition mini-grant for implementation of a Harvest of the Month project. CEUs are available. For details on how to register go to: http://doe.sd.gov/cans/teamnutrition.aspx#workshop, or contact Mary Kirk for more information.